Really Malfoy?
by SewingSlytherin
Summary: Hermione has spotted a figure at the beach that she thinks she knows. But what is he wearing? Used to be a one shot
1. Chapter 1

Hermione was looking at a strange figure on the beach. She wasn't quite sure who it was, but she was sure she'd know that shock of white hair anywhere. She climbed her way across the sand to find herself standing across from Draco Malfoy.

"Malfoy," she greeted him politely. "How are you?"

"About as well as could be expected Granger," he said tersely. "Is it always so hot here?"

Hermione laughed. She wasn't sure what she had expected, but that had most certainly not been it. "Most people don't wear a suit to the beach Malfoy."

"Obviously," he drawled. "But I'm not most people."

Hermione could see that. He had never striven to be anyone other than himself back at school, even if being himself had resulted in him being a right prat. And it looked like he hadn't changed that much in the time since they had left school.

"I know. But between the sand, the waves, and the fact that yes it is hot, most people find something a little more water resistant to be acceptable," she said with as little sarcasm as she could manage.

It was a strange thing, but she found that she couldn't hold it against him. At least, not much. Draco Malfoy looked good in a suit. And she suddenly found herself wondering what he would look like in swim trunks.

She shook that thought from her head as fast as it appeared, her cheeks flaming. She knew he couldn't read her mind. But that didn't mean that she wanted to think of him that way. Even if he was less of a prat than he had been in school.

"You alright Granger?" he asked. "You look flushed."

She coughed. "It's nothing."

Draco didn't seem convinced. "Come with me." He took her by the wrist and practically dragged her up the beach to where an umbrella and chair sat. He sat her down on the chair, making sure she was out of the sun.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked once she was situated.

Hermione fought to keep her cheeks from blazing again. She had always assumed that the Malfoys had changed for the better. And she was watching living proof that at the very least Draco had.

"I was doing fine," she said.

"And now?" he prompted, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm feeling better," she said. She didn't need to admit the reason that she had flushed in the first place. But she had felt less guilty about the fact that she had flushed. If Draco had grown up, she could crush on him as much as she wanted without worrying about it.

She spent the next few moments in his care, before he declared her fit enough to go back to her friends. She could feel him watching her as she made her way back towards Harry, Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys. But good luck getting her to admit that.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was at the beach once again just a few short weeks after running into Malfoy there. She was reclining on her towel, reading. She enjoyed the sand, the surf, and all the ambient noise.

She did have to admit that she wasn't the largest fan of the fact that it felt as if it took her two showers to be free of sand when she got home, but that was the price to be paid. It was the same about how she had to deal with sunburns if she forgot to put sunscreen on. Thankfully that hadn't happened in years.

There was a shadow over her book, and she looked up to find Malfoy standing over her. He was still wearing a suit. And not the bathing kind.

"Has anyone told you that you might want to invest in some slightly more casual clothes?" Hermione asked.

"You did," he teased her. "But you didn't have the best fashion sense."

"Hey," Hermione said. "I not have been the best dressed at Hogwarts, but we wore uniforms. I couldn't have been the worst."

Draco smiled at the memory. "You still had frizzy hair. Especially after potions."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You're lucky you never had to deal with curls. Living in Great Britain doesn't exactly help. And brewing potions only makes it worse."

"So, can I sit?" Draco asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't think I can tell you what to do on a public beach."

She knew she couldn't. She knew he knew she couldn't exactly say no. She also knew that he was giving her a chance to say if she was uncomfortable spending time with him.

"How do you keep the sand out of your shoes?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Repelling charm on my socks," Draco said nonchalantly. "I hate it getting in there."

"Same," Hermione said. "I usually just wear sandals and then spell the sand out when I get home. But if there's a better way of doing it I'm open to hearing it."

They talked for several hours, Draco sitting down in a chair he had packed away. It wasn't until he had to go that Hermione realized that she'd totally forgotten about her book. Oh well, it could wait.

* * *

A/N: Great. I have another story that was supposed to be a one shot that has since expanded. Why does this happen to me?


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione and Draco had met up almost every weekend for the remainder of the summer in almost the same spot. By the end of the season, Hermione had managed to get Draco out of his suit. He wore light slacks and a button-down shirt, but it wasn't as strange as the black suit he had worn the first month.

He had miraculously managed not to burn the entire time they were there. Of course, he was religious about applying his sunscreen. Every two hours on the dot. Hermione was much more lax in her application of sunscreen. Her tendency to tan instead of burn had quite a bit to do with it.

The last day of the season, which was a little more out of habit than temperature, Hermione found herself wishing that she could spend more time with Draco. After all, he was half the reason that she kept coming back to the beach week after week. And she had finally gotten him to wear something more appropriate for the situation. She didn't want all her hard work to go to waste.

She was sad when she packed up her things, slinging her sundress over her swim suit. She wanted to spend more time with Draco, but wasn't sure how to bring up the subject to him.

"You're not going to be here next week," Draco said closing his book.

Hermione shook her head. "How did you know?"

"You seemed rather upset," Draco said with a smirk. "And Potter told me."

"Harry told you?" Hermione wasn't upset, but even if she and Draco had been spending time together, Harry had never been Malfoy's biggest fan.

"He's the only Potter who will talk to me," Draco shrugged. "Not that I blame his wife."

No one could blame Ginny for wanting to avoid Draco as much as possible. And the fact that Harry was even on speaking terms with him was impressive.

"It's okay," Hermione said. "During the quidditch season she barely has enough time for Harry, let alone anyone else."

That seemed to appease Draco a bit. Not as much as Hermione would have liked, but she doubted there was much she could say to that end.

"Anyways," Draco said rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, "since you won't be here, would you maybe like to do something else?"

"Such as?" Hermione prompted, desperately trying to keep the smile off her face.

"We could do dinner, maybe go see one of those movies you like, or whatever you want to." Draco had a glimmer of hope on his face.

"I'd love that."


	4. Chapter 4

After a few months of dating, Draco pulled Hermione to the beach where they had met again. It was a special place for them, and he needed somewhere special for what he was planning.

"Draco, it's too cold for the beach," Hermione protested as he pulled her onto the sand.

"Come on," he said. "This will only take a minute."

"Draco. What will take a minute? You're in a suit. Which I know isn't exactly unusual behavior for you, but I'm in a dress. What are we doing?" She was rambling as she followed him, incredibly grateful that she had chosen flats that day instead of heels.

"Just trust me," he said as he continued down the sand.

"I do trust you Draco." Hermione nearly tumbled into him when he stopped. "I'm still dating you after all. I just wish you would tell me what we're doing here when it's not the right time of year to be at the beach."

Draco took a deep breath. This was it. The moment of truth.

"Hermione, I love you," he said.

"I love you too, but that doesn't have anything to do with this place."

"Actually it does," Draco said. "This was where we met again. And this is where we kept meeting, until I finally asked you out."

"And what does that have to do with now?" Hermione asked.

Draco smiled. "I'll explain if you let me finish."

"Sorry." Hermione blushed. She should know better. Draco had a point, and would probably get there faster if she didn't interrupt him.

"I love you. I'm so glad that I ran into you on this beach," he said. "But I'm afraid I have a question for you."

Hermione couldn't help the puzzled look that came over her face. If Draco had a question, he should have just asked it. Instead of dragging her out to the beach in the middle of winter.

Draco knelt down, taking a hold of Hermione's hands.

"I never thought we'd be here. I never thought a chance meeting would bring us back time and time again. But I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Will you marry me?"

Tears prickled in Hermione's eyes. She hadn't expected that. Especially not so soon. But she wasn't about to trade it for the world.

"Yes," she said bending down to kiss him. "I'd like nothing more."

They stood, brushing the sand from their clothes. Thankfully the sand had been dry where they were, so it wasn't sticking to them in clumps.

"I was under the impression that there was supposed to be a ring with a proposal," Hermione teased.

Draco reached in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. "I have one. But I didn't want to let go of you." He squeezed her hand.

"You never have to let me go."


	5. Chapter 5

Draco fiddled with his collar nervously. Standing awkwardly on the beach hadn't been his first chance. But, all things considered, he was going to be standing awkwardly wherever he was until the ceremony started.

Blaise sighed from Draco's side. "She's not going to change her mind."

Draco glared at his best friend. He knew that Hermione wasn't going to change her mind. He hadn't been worried over that. He hadn't really considered it. But once the idea had been placed in his head he couldn't shake it.

"I said she wasn't going to change her mind," Blaise attempted to defend himself. He was doing an incredibly poor job.

Draco broke his stare and rubbed his neck. He wasn't mad at Blaise. At least not as much as he wanted to be. All he could feel was the pounding of his heart in his chest.

Narcissa Malfoy watched her son pace nervously for a moment. If she had been there earlier, she would have watched for longer. But there was a schedule to be kept and she couldn't.

"It's time," she said.

Draco stopped his pacing and straightened his tie. He reinforced the spell keeping the sand out of his shoes. The last thing he needed was sand in his shoes distracting him from one of the most important moments of his life.

He and Blaise took their spots near the altar. They waited as everyone took their seats and the music started. Hermione floated down the aisle, her short dress revealing her bare feet. It was about as good a solution as Draco's spell.

The ceremony passed in a blur. It was beautiful, magical, and wonderful, but the reception was what everyone would talk about later.

Everyone loved the food. The music was fantastic for dancing. And everything was going well. Until Harry came up to offer his congratulations to the happy couple.

"I guess only you two would have a wedding on a beach," he said.

"It made sense," Hermione said. "We met again here. He asked me out for the first time here. And this is where we got engaged. It just made sense to get married here."

"Besides, according to all the magazines Hermione made me look at over our engagement, beach weddings are fairly common," Draco added.

He was doing his best to stay calm. Harry still irked him even after months of dating Hermione. He knew that in the magical community beachside weddings weren't exactly the norm. But he had wanted to make Hermione happy. And she was right, it had made sense.

"I didn't take you for the type to read bridal magazines," Harry said.

"He's not," Hermione laughed. "But he's pretty good at at least looking at something before giving his opinion."

"Ouch Granger," Harry said dramatically. "That's a harsh blow."

Hermione laughed. "Next time you want to accuse me of being harsh use my name. It's Malfoy now."

Draco pulled her in and kissed her head. Hearing her say that made everything more real.

* * *

A/N: I just found my notes on this while cleaning my room. And of course, I'm going to use every excuse to avoid doing that. (I already did my designated half hour for the day. I'm right where I should be.)


End file.
